1. Field
The following description relates to a single layer smart window, and, more particularly, a single layer smart window having high visible light transmittance with a simple structure and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
As the cost of energy sources increases, the importance of energy saving technologies is emerging. In particular, cooling and heating accounts for a majority of energy consumption, and about 24% of the energy consumed by cooling and heating is lost through windows.
Smart window technology is an active control technology that can reduce the energy loss by freely controlling the light transmittance therethrough from the outside, and can be applied to various industrial fields such as transportation, information, display, and architecture. The existing smart window has a smart window using thermochromic property.
The thermochromic property is as follows: the crystal structure of a material changes around a specific temperature and its physical properties change rapidly. The smart window using the thermochromic property transmits visible light when the temperature exceeds a certain temperature, but it can prevent the rise of the room temperature by blocking near infrared rays and infrared rays, thereby improving energy efficiency.
However, since many materials having thermochromic properties have a high phase transition temperature, they are substantially difficult to use for smart windows. In the case of a smart window using vanadium dioxide having a relatively practical phase transition temperature, low visible light transmittance thereof may be problematic.
In order to compensate for this low visible light transmittance, a method of manufacturing a multilayer smart window by coating a substance capable of improving the transmittance on a vanadium dioxide coating film may be used. However, such a method requires an additional process and increases the processing time and cost. In addition, there is a problem that the infrared transmittance of the smart window is reduced.
Therefore, there is a need for a smart window having high visible light transmittance and a method for manufacturing the same.